The Essence of Worlds
by Iruja
Summary: Kael Nitsuhara, after a confrontation with Marche, Mewt, Ritz, and Donned, journeys to Ivalice, where he meets a Viera named Kari! Confusion, love, war, hate, etc.! [Updated 6.15.05, Up to Chapter 9]
1. Prologue: Misconception?

Hi again! I decided to go for a whole re-write (and I changed my name for fun), so that it would make a little more sense. The story will be similar, so don't fret XD...I hope you enjoy...again, if you've already read it once before.

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Prologue - Misconception?

The dry cold air made him shiver slightly, but he welcomed it. He smiled a sighed, a stream of visible air escaping from his mouth as he exhaled. Marché pulled on his black gloves, walking slowly toward the school. Although he had technically been in this town since yesterday, he recognized many faces. And it had been many long months since he had actually seen them.

"Oi! Marché!" Came a familiar voice. He turned his head around quickly, his long blonde hair on his head whipping to the side and then resettling. Mewt, a boy with wild brown hair and blue eyes brighter than his own, was running at him on the slick sidewalks, wearing his green jacket and brown pants. Marché smiled—until he fell face first in the snow. He ran toward him and helped him up, but Mewt was laughing lightly, making him do the same.

"Still a clutz," He said, sighing, brushing snow off of himself. Some of the other kids walking past them toward the school were pointing and laughing, but briefly. "It's good to be back in the cold, eh?"

Marché was glad he had been able to convince both Mewt and Ritz to come back, especially since it seemed Mewt had already forgiven him. He was a little unsure about Ritz, but he decided to wait until he got to school to make an assumption. Just the thought of making her unhappy made his heart sink.

"What's wrong?" Mewt asked, bringing him back to earth.

"Nothing. Ready?"

"Yeah."

They rounded the corner near a red brick building and the back part of the campus came into view, the empty field covered in a thick sheet of powdery, untouched snow. As they entered through the fence, three boys approached them from behind an old tool shed, each with their hands in their pockets. Immedietly, Marché and Mewt recognized them; Lyle, Colin, and Guiness. They stopped in the middle of the bright field.

"Oi look! The kid doesn't have a teddy bear in his arms this time!" Guiness called. The other two laughed, stupidly from Marché's point of view. They kept walking, but the other three stood in their path a few feet apart. Mewt was the first to retort.

"Oi look!" He said, mocking Guiness' voice and tone. "The moron still thinks he's cool with that big time ego of his." Marché looked at Mewt in pure shock, and almost reached out to stop him. The look on Guiness' face, however, was priceless.

"What did you say, daddy's boy?"

Marché could hardly contain himself, smiling. "Aw, poor boy can't understand English. Maybe he should pay attention in class more, eh?" Mewt nodded in agreement.

It was such a light insult, but Colin and Lyle dove to the ground and scooped up a pile of snow and chucked them simultaneously at Mewt and Marché. They both stepped casually but swiftly to the side to avoid it, but Marché stuck out an arm and let the snow burst over his sleeve. Something hard collided with it besides for the snow, and he watched as a rock dropped from it.

"Another accident?" He said calmly, closing his eyes while he spoke. The three boys were looking at him with awe.

"You…you both moved so…so fast." Lyle said, stuttering. I didn't even see it." Marché raised an eyebrow. He didn't think he moved that quickly, but now that he thought of it, they had thrown the snowballs rather fast.

"Well, good dodge, good dodge, but," Guiness scooped up some snow and tossed it. Marché leaned to the side to avoid it, but he saw him start to move in with a fist raised. Marché's eyes widened, and everything slowed down. He leapt diaganolly to the right and gave a roundhouse kick to the back of Guiness' head, but he held back a lot. He was just surprised he remembered how to do it.

His light tap sent him flying back toward the shed. Marché watched, turning white, as Mewt hurled a snowball at Lyle, slammed him right in the face, and sent him flying to where Guiness was. Colin, looking frightened, retreated back to them and started asking them if they were all right.

Marché and Mewt glanced at eachother, breathing lightly but with great effort. Marché nodded toward the school, and instantly they sped off for the stairs to Mr. Laslie's classroom. But before they went, he shouted, "Oh, and for your information, my teddy is the last thing my mom could give me before she died!"

When they were climbing the stairs, Marché could see him fuming. He was more concerned about what just happened. "Okay…what was that!" He blurted out. Mewt looked at him, his anger turning rapidly into fear.

"I don't know, now that I think about it," Mewt said, his voice shaking. "Did we somehow retain our fighting and magic powers since Ivalice…er…the country Ivalice?"

Mewt's sudden mention of the desert dream version of Ivalice sent flashes of memories of Marché's clan, Montblanc sticking out clearer than all of them. He shook his head shaking them off, then replied, "It's possible. I still somehow have the Ayvuir Red and Blue." It was true—the blades, still sheathed, were hidden in his and Donned's chest in their room.

"And The Grand Grimoire is still in my possesion, the stories in it unchanged. And…" He paused. "I can read it. Perfectly."

"What?" Marché's jaw dropped, blinking at him.

"Yeah. Maybe you can too. And Ritz. Didn't you suddenly know the written language? The official language was English, except the Viera and Bangaa had their own language, but the words are written in more runic-like symbols," He explained. Marché looked at him searchingly. "Oh! But that doesn't mean I'm glad we're back. I'm not sure if I'd want to go back."

Marché thought about this carefully as they entered the door. They agreed to talk about it later. Mr. Laslie looked at them from behind his desk, peering at them from behind small glasses on the rim of his nose, his blonde hair split neatly to the side, removing his seagreen jacket.

"You're both early. I saw what happened outside," He said. Marché felt a drop of sweat run down the side of his temple. "I'll let this one go, but even if they make the first move, you shouldn't have beaten them up that badly." He said, Marché looking at him with awe. He had said it with a hint of pride in his voice. He nodded, and they went to their seats, the rest of the class not yet there.

Ritz stared at herself in the mirror, the silky-smooth white hair sticking out a lot less than she used to remember it. She glanced at the red dye tube, then laughed gleefully. She picked it up and squeezed its contents into the toilet and flushed. Content and feeling better than she thought she would, she went back to her room and threw on her favorite white winter dress and went outside. On the edge of the neighborhood, her friend, Sharon, was waiting for her at the corner, wearing an open purple jacket with an orange turtle-neck underneath with long purple socks.

"R-Ritz!" She said, gasping and darting her eyes around at her. "Y-Your hair! It's as white as snow!"

"Yup." Ritz replied happily. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah, actually! It's beautiful and suits you! Of course, red was good too, but this is just as good too!'

"Thanks, Sharon. Oh, I may dye it again. How does green sound?" She asked, laughing as they started for the school.

"Ew! Ew! Ew!" She shrieked, flailing her arms. After Sharon had recovered, they were both giggling.

They had taken the usual shortcut—a place that was usually just an empty retention pond and slightly damp, but during winter they could cross it, saving a good ten minutes of time of walking through the busiest part of the town. Ritz stepped into the wide open field, but her foot sank over three feet. Sharon dashed to help, but she tripped and fell just as far in flat on her stomach.

They both giggled. It had never been this deep, and when Ritz stopped, she tried pushing herself out with her right hand, which just pushed more snow into the hole her leg had created. _If only I could melt most of this! We're going to be later at this rate!_ She thought.

Her long white socks grew wet, and slowly grew even more. Ritz felt a warm sensation in her fingers and looked down and gasped. Small flames were dancing on her fingernails, and then began rotating around the entirety of her hand. The snow melted slowly. Sharon lifted her head, and Ritz grasped her arm firmly, making it stop.

"What was…?"

"I…I don't know. Let's go." Ritz said hurriedly. Walking across the wet snow was much easier. Ritz stared at her hands, conscious of Sharon looking at her with soft green eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just thought I saw…nah." She said, waving her hand with her wrist only. _I didn't see it, and I didn't do anything. Or did I? Was it Fire Whip?_ _Couldn't be. But there's no mistaking the beginning of the spell._

When they reached the school, Ritz apologized to Sharon and left her at the lockers, dashing up the stairs toward the classroom, hoping that at least Marché was there. When she entered, Mr. Laslie glanced at her with a warm welcome and, as if was telepathic, both Marché and Mewt sat in the back, looking at her.

"Guys!" She said happily, abandoning her panic. She went to the back and hugged them both, much to Marché's surprise.

"How are you, Ritz?" Marché asked, blushing when he felt her softness, admiring her resolve to accept and like her white hair. _It is really beautiful…all of her really is._ He thought, nodding to himself.

"Good! Oh wait…except…" She began, but Mewt interrupted.

"Something weird just happened. Me and Marché," He had dropped his voice slightly as he spoke, glad that a few other students had come in talking loudly. "We still have skills we learned."

"How did…?" Ritz first wondered about _how _they had found out, but then was glad she wasn't the only one. "Me too! I melted snow!"

Marché gazed at her, dumbfounded. "So I'm not going crazy," He said. "Yeah, we got into a fight with the moronic trio. And…that's how."

"What did you do to them? Literally?" Ritz asked, glad that they had done what she had only expected without asking about it. Marché explained the story.

"Sent them flying like a pair of scared swallows.

"I see," Ritz said. "But what does this…"

The bell rang loudly, and almost instantly, Mr. Laslie, their homeroom teacher, began speaking and instructing. Used to his college-like teaching method using lectures, they all sat down, Ritz retreating to the side nearest to the blindless windows that allowed much of the white light into the room and Marché and Mewt in the back next to eachother. "I'll finish later," Ritz mouthed to them.

Once classes had finished, Ritz had told them about what happened to herself. Then she asked, "What does this mean, do you think?"

Marché shook his head slowly, shrugging his shoulders. The air had become much colder, and clouds began settling around the town. When they got nearer to Marché's neighborhood, a blizzard kicked up out of nowhere, but just light enough for them to be able to see. Chattering his teeth as the cold bit into his cheeks, he motioned toward his house. He called, "Come on! We can go wait at my place! Besides, I think Donned would like to see you guys."

Marché made his way up the street and opened the door to his house, used to the yellow paint. He waited for Ritz and Mewt, and then followed them inside. They kicked off their shoes and made their way upstairs.

"Donned!" Marché called. A small voice replied. "We're coming up!" At the top of the stairs, they went down the hallway, glad to feel the warmth of the house and the wood underneath them, and opened the door to his room. Donned smiled at them, lying his green bed next to Marché identical one.

"Hi." He said, fidgeting with his Game Boy, his deep blue eyes straining with concentration and his thick brown hair spread on the pillow, wearing his white pajamas. He put it down and hopped into his wheelchair and came over to them.

They all settled in the middle of the floor, glad to get off their feet. Mewt pulled out The Grand Grimoire from his backpack, which he had accidently kept there.

"What're we pulling this out again for?" Donned said suspiciously but filled with curiosity.

"Because we apparently still have our skills," Ritz said, staring at Marché as he flipped through the pages. She caught herself and shook her head. _What the heck am I thinking, looking at him like that? Damn it all._

"Yeah, I can read this perfectly," Marché said, sighing with discomfort. Ritz ran the back of her hand through her long hair and brushed it to the side, holding it in place while she looked at it herself.

"_…And thus caused the formation of the book that you hold and read as of this moment,_" she read aloud. _The goddess, able to cross time, space, and bring the most desired wishes from the hearts of civilized beings, will never truly be able to be defeated. Her spirit wanders through the hearts of many—including my own. It is with this new found co-operation with the goddess that I created a second world, where peace was easily within grasp, and fighting was less common._" She stopped and inhaled deeply.

"So…does that mean that _this _world was the reflection of this…" Marché peered at the signature. "Grimoire Valkanstan?"

"It seems so," Mewt said, nodding, his eyes full of wonder. "Perhaps Ivalice was at civil war during his time? So he wished for _our _world?"

"This is too much to understand. So technically, I wished us from the fake world, which was originally the _real _world. My head hurts now." Marché said, wondering how they would take it.

"I...I'm surprised too. It was an easy mistake to make. I forgot who I originally was—until I saw you. In the "fake" Ivalice, I mean. Then it all came back. Not in a bad way, it just did, and I realized it," Ritz said, her voice kind. "But now I do like this world."

"But now…with your powers back…what'll happen?" Donned asked. Silence settled upon all of them, the heat from the stove wafting over them as they stared blankily into the old decaying pages.

"We wait." Marché said finally. "If worst comes to worst…and including the oddity of our powers coming back, and the weather seems to be acting weird, eh?"

Ritz thought about this and said, "You're right. There hasn't been a blizzard like that in over five years." She pointed to the television mounted on one of the bookshelves. The weather reporter was waving his arms around a greenscreen showing the region, and how the temperature low suddenly dropped by ten degrees.

"What happens if we do end up going back? Are we willing to accept that?" Marché said, wishing that his wonder about going back wasn't contradictory of what they had originally come back for—reality.

"I…I should be. If it's unavoidable," Ritz said. Mewt nodded.

"Me too."

"Me three," Donned said.

Marché sighed and laid back on his rug with his arms behind his head. Ritz and Mewt stood up and left without saying a word to them. Donned stared at his brother for a while, then rolled back onto his bed.

"This is an unexpected theory, eh?" He said sleepily. The blizzard outside had ceased, but nightfall was slowly descending.

"Yeah," Marché replied simply.


	2. Chapter 1: Friends

One 

Sixteen-year-old Kael Nitsuharu felt a bead of sweat drop from his head as he stood outside the classroom door. His face was still frozen from the cold, but now he felt his insides begin to squirm. He always hated being the new kid, but he figured he'd better just put up with it. He brushed his fingers through his long brown hair and tried to neaten it as best he could and beat the snow off of his navy-blue jacket.

_Why'd my grandfather have to move to this town just so he could set up that bookshop of his?_ He thought bitterly. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door. From behind it, he heard an older man announce his coming and the door opened. A tall blonde hair blue-eyed and light bearded man wearing a dark-blue work shirt smiled at him from the threshold.

"Class, I'd like to introduce you to Kael Nitsuharu, a transfer student from Japan." The man said, guiding him to the front of the class. The teacher stood behind a podium and looked at him. Kael looked nervously at the rest of his class staring at him, some with bored expressions on their faces. "Tell us a bit about yourself. Oh, yeah! I'm Mr. Laslie, pleased to meet you, Kael."

Kael nodded and turned to the class, unable to ignore piercing gaze of most of the room. "No story, really. I live with my grandfather, who owns a store mostly stocked with antique books. We used to live in Nagasaki, but business was bad and he hated the city, so we moved here about a month ago."

"What happened to your parents?" someone asked loudly. Mr. Laslie turned sharply toward him.

"Marché!" He said with a raised voice to a boy with long blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. "Don't ask questions like that!"

"Sorry! I was just curious."

"It's okay, Mr. Laslie." Kael said, and he turned to the blonde hair blue-eyed boy. "I'm not native Japanese, and my parents were both from America. But they died 'under mysterious circumstances' when I was young, according to the police."

"Thank you, Kael. Take your seat behind…let's see…behind Mewt, over there in the middle seat." Mr. Leslie said, nodding in its direction. Kael did as he was told. He felt the eyes on him slowly move to the toward the blackboard, where Mr. Laslie had taken his place at the podium.

"I'm sorry." Marché said to him as he sat, who sat adjacent to him. Kael shook his head and smiled at him.

"It's okay. You gave me something to talk about," he replied.

Mewt, the boy with wild brown hair and equally sharp eyes who sat in front of him, turned around in his chair to face him.

"What store is it called?" He asked casually. "I'm Mewt, by the way!"

"Hi, Mewt. It's called 'Takata's'," he replied.

"Really!" Mewt asked loudly. Kael jumped back slightly. Then, dropping his voice to a whisper, he said, "I bought an old book from there two days ago." A girl with snow-white hair and skin with bright blue eyes suddenly looked at them from the corner of her eye a few seats away. _Jeeze, they all have blue eyes, _Kael thought.

"Really? What book?" Kael asked, not really interested, wondering if they should be concentrated on the teacher, who had begun lecturing about the Crusades with the textbook in his hands.

"It's called _The Grand Grimoire_. You're grandfather couldn't even read it."

"Oh, that book," Kael said, nodding. "Yeah, it's written in some unknown language. Do you like it?"

Mewt didn't answer. Marché looked from Kael to Mewt, to the girl with white hair, and then back to Kael. Feeling slightly confused, Kael raised an eyebrow and asked, "Well?"

"It's interesting, that's for sure," Marché said. "Would you like to come over to my house after school?" Kael could hardly believe his ears, wondering very little about the sudden offer. From the looks of things, he didn't really know if he was going to like them or not, but he figured he could take a chance. _Maybe I can make friends in this small town. But I don't really know them…then again, isn't that how I made friends in Nagasaki?_

"Ummm…sure, why?" Kael said, nodding.

"Just for fun, and we'd like you to look at something for us. We should hang out for a bit before though…there's gotta be something to do before we go to your place, Marché!" Mewt said, smiling. Suddenly, a book slammed on Mewt's desk, making them all jump. Mr. Laslie was looking down on them with a grin.

"I know you're all getting acquainted and everything, but could we _please_ pay attention, hmm?" He said in a fun tone. Kael bowed his head.

"Sorry! Sorry!" He said in a bow, wishing he had kicked that habit before getting here. The class laughed lightly as Mr. Laslie went back to the front.

That afternoon after classes, Kael followed both Mewt and Marché outside onto the playground area of campus, watching from behind a tree as other kids were having a snowball fight. The day had grown warmer, and the sun was shining brightly down on them without a single cloud in the sky. The three of them had so much small talk about random things that Kael had almost forgotten it was his first day. He liked the sound and attitude of both of them, hoping that they could become better friends making him much happier. The buildings around the town had a beautiful collection of snow on the roofs and the windowsills.

"Wow, at first I thought you just talked normally, Kael," Marché said after Kael told them about an incident in Nagasaki where he and his old friends played pranks on other highschool girls, and another time where they accidently made his old math teacher look like a pervert when he went into the girl's bathroom by switching the signs.

"You haven't seen what me and my friends used to do in the city Nagasaki," Kael finished. Marché and Mewt were finally starting to stop laughing.

"You talked so normally in class." Marché said. "But it's great to see your true side."

"So what's your story Marché? Mewt?" he asked, getting curious about them. Mewt started first.

"My mom died a while back, but I'd hate it if I lost both my parents," Mewt said. "At first, he gave up on work after mom died. But then, he jumped right back up yesterday and got another job. It's a desk job, but he says he likes it." Mewt's and Marché's eyes met.

"I still have both parents," Marché began. "But dad's always busy and working in California. My brother, Donned, has a sickness. He can't walk, yet anyway, and we take him to the hospital every now and then. Not much else."

Kael nodded quietly. "Wow, so technically, we all have our problems."

"Heh, yeah, but we're fine, aren't you?" Mewt said.

"Of course," Kael said happily. "My grandpa thought I was crazy when I started talking to mom's pictures, though. That's when he signed me up for kendo in fifth grade. He thought I was going insane."

"Kendo?" Mewt and Marché asked at the same time.

"Ah…" Kael said, scratching his head. "Kendo is…lessee…Ah! Kendo is like European fencing, just Japanese. We use bamboo swords to simulate a katana, and we hit parts of the armored body to get points, just like fencing."

"Sounds cool," Mewt said. He now had a teddy bear in his hands, but Kael didn't ask.

"Are you good?" Marché asked.

"I'm told. My sensei gave me my own katana when I got to first kyu. I still have it packed away somewhere in our stuff."

"Can you show it to us before we go to Marché's?" Mewt asked hopefully.

"Sure!"

"Well, aren't you the little happy bunch?" a soft but sharp voice said casually. The girl with white hair came from around the tree.

"Hey, Ritz," Mewt said. "This is Kael."

"Hi Kael." Ritz said turning and grinned at him, but then turned her head back to Marché. "What are we doing today? I thought we were going to discuss the book."

"What's wrong?" Kael asked, blinking at her. She was rather pretty, and the white hair even added to it. He noted the look in Marché's eyes toward her and grinned slightly. There was no mistaking that look.

"There's a…there's a…" She began, but she couldn't find the words. Marché shook his head.

"We should be patient. The book can wait a little bit."

"What's wrong, is it acting weird again?" Kael asked casually. All three of them turned to look at him.

"Again?" Ritz repeated. Kael nodded.

"Yeah. It used to give off weird lights and would flip pages randomly. My grandfather even tried some Shinto magic—you know, those paper things with kanji written on them—to make it stop, but it didn't work," Kael said. They all continued staring at him.

"So you know?" Marché asked.

"Know what?" Kael was starting to get confused and irritated by the sudden seriousness.

"Your grandfather…he does magic?" Mewt asked.

"Tries to. I don't think any Shinto magic actually works though, but he taught me some simple incantations. I didn't really believe in magic, until the book started giving me weird dreams about the illustrations and writings in it," Kael said truthfully. Each night, he really did see flashes of the illustrations of odd-looking humanoids and writing with clarity, but he didn't think much of it. And the one nightmare that he refused to continue thinking about.

They all looked at each other. Marché sighed and then started walking toward the street, the rest of them following.

"Well, let's think about it later," He said. "How does the mall sound?"

"Yay! I saw a new dress that I want! Marché, how much money do you have?" Ritz said, suddenly cheerful.

"What? I can barely afford a Coke!"

"Liar!"

"Come on you two," Mewt said, sweat dropping. "Let's go get some new books!"

Kael was slightly shocked by the sudden change in attitude, but he liked it. He ran up next to them all. "Any of you read manga?"

"I do! I can't stand regular books," Ritz said. She started listing the ones she had, and then Kael replied. They even made agreements to start letting each other borrow ones they didn't have.

"Of course, mine are still in Japanese," Kael said, laughing. Ritz whapped him on the head, making him laugh.

"Well that's not much help! Translate it for me!"

"Okay! Okay!"

_I may just have fun in this town._ He thought, smiling. When they rounded a corner into the parking lot of the mall, a chill swept over Kael and he became dizzy. He staggered slightly, unnoticed by the others. Looking up, he gasped and held his breath, stopping in a mid-step. In the middle of the cleared parking lot stood a towering, brown robed figure with a hood pulled over its head. It was standing as still as a stature, but looking directly at Kael with visible glowing eyes. Kael blinked. All that was there now was the empty parking lot. A rush of cold wind buffet their hair slightly, but the others moved on as though nothing happened.

"Did anyone…?" Kael said, but stumbled again. Marché kept him from falling, pushing on his back.

"What's wrong?" Mewt asked. Kael scanned the entire parking lot, the dizziness gone and the cold more tolerable.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," He lied.


	3. Chapter 2: The Grand Grimoire

Thanks for the anonymous reviews XD...I promise I'll try my best, and I'm having fun writing this. I had this posted before, but I saw so many flaws and edited a few tid-bits here and there. I really hope you enjoy it.

Should I write shorter chapters? Because so many people these days like to read short stuff. Ah, the rise of ADD and ADHD! How SWEET! XD

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Chapter 2

The four of them sat round a square table in the vibrant food court, sipping on hot coffee that Kael bought for them all.

"I've never been to one of these kinds of malls," Kael said. "Similar, but the shopping districts are all outdoors with small shops. Well, with the exception of Shibuya 109."

"What kinds of fashions are there? Apart for Paris. It's really popular for fashion!" Ritz said excitedly.

"Pretty much the same, with a little variation," Kael said. Marché looked at his watch and motioned to them.

"Come on, it'll be sunset soon. We should get to my house. Is it okay for you to come over, Kael?"

"Should be, my grandpa closes his shop around nine o'clock on Fridays," He replied. They all got up and walked outside, following Marché. Thick clouds crept over the town and a light snow began to fall.

"It's this way? I can grab my katana from my house, if you'd like," Kael offered as they rounded another corner. Mewt nodded hopefully.

"Sure," Marché said. The other three waited outside of his house. It was two-stories with three bedrooms, one of which was for guests. It was rather empty except for furniture and boxes that were filled with their luggage piled around. Although the house was rented, it was in rather bad shape, however it could be comfortably lived in. Kael went up stairs to his small room and reached for his sword on the floor, which was covered only in the middle by a red carpet and a bed in the corner of the room with a window that looked through part of the neighborhood. He jumped back downstairs, went outside and locked the door, and followed them as they turned to leave.

He showed them it as he pulled the blade out, taking their eyes off the sidewalk. It was a simply designed blade with a soft but protective black sheath. A black nylon wrapped around the hilt in a diamond pattern for grip with a thick blue ribbon was tied just below the round gold-colored guard. He showed them the sharpness and perfect shape of the slightly curved blade. It gleamed slightly in the setting sun.

"Very cool!" Ritz said. "I myself prefer rapiers and fencing."

"If magic was around, I'd be using staves." Mewt said.

"Broadswords or blades for me. I like katanas as well, but I just don't use them that much. Never learned how to properly handle one, either. You good with it, Kael?" Marché asked. Kael was just surprised they all seemed to like a certain kind of weapon. "I have two blades; one's red, and the other blue. It once belonged to…" He added but broke off suddenly, shaking his head at the ground. Kael ignored it but wondered why.

"Pretty good. I'd show you, but I really can't, not for real," Kael laughed.

"That may depend." Ritz muttered. He watched her glance at Marché, but it was not returned.

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

They rounded around a final corner and started descending down wide snow-covered steps, Mewt almost slipping on one but caught the streetlight pole. They moved down a series of identical looking houses until they came to a yellow colored, two-story house, where Marché and the others turned onto the driveway. At the door, they took off their shoes and Marché opened the front door, beckoning them all inside.

It was a simple house, mostly made with wood. It was decorated with a mountain-theme to it. A few moose trophies were mounted on the wall, and all the furniture matched the brown color of the house.

"Anything to drink?" Marché offered, even though they all still had their coffees. He shrugged and then called, "Donned! You home!"

"Yeah!" Came a younger sounding voice from a distance.

"We're coming up! We have a new friend!" He said, leading them up stairs. Kael flushed for a second. At the top of the stairs, he led them straight across the hall and opened a mahogany-colored door and led into the room.

It was slightly small like Kael's, but had a lot of clutter on the floors and a steaming teakettle on a small heated stove. A young boy with bright blue eyes and brown hair the same color as Kael's looked at all of them and grinned. He was confined to a wheelchair, just as he was told. _Man, I stick out like a sore thumb with green-eyes_! He thought somewhat bitterly, watching his reflection in the mirror in the room.

"Hi there! Who's this?" He asked, wheeling toward the door to shut it behind them.

"Kael Nitsuhara," He answered, smiling. "You must be Donned, right?"

"I am, nice to meet you, Kael," He replied. Kael followed them to sitting in the middle of the floor, but Donned went over to a bookshelf and pulled the ancient book down. Kael nodded.

"That's the book alright," He confirmed. Donned handed it to Marché, who opened it in the middle of the small circle. Mewt leaned over and began flipping the pages. "So what's wrong with it?"

"Well, we have a theory, but we can't exactly share it without you thinking we're all nuts." Mewt said, focusing on the book and darting his eyes around the strange runes.

"Try me. I've seen this book do strange things."

Marché heaved a sigh. "Well, what we _can _tell you without confusing you is that it's definitely not from around here, or at least no one knows of this civilization."

"I could figure that out on my own. But wait…are you saying not from around here as in Ivalice, or…?"

"Exactly," Ritz said, looking at him, propping herself up with both arms and sitting in seiza. She brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes.

"…What?"

Ritz stood up and outstretched an arm at Kael, closing her eyes. A fireball erupted from her hand and launched upward, just missed touching the roof, and came back down toward Kael. Instinctively, Kael ripped the katana from its sheath and swung to deflect it. The flames split in two and sizzled out of life on the floor. It all happened so fast that he kept his mouth open and didn't blink, looking right at Ritz.

"Ritz!" Marché shouted. She just swung her head to look at him.

"It's not gone, now it's confirmed. Something's up…oh, sorry Kael!" Ritz said, smiling awkwardly at him. Recovering, Kael glared at Ritz, panting from surprise.

"What. Was. That?" He demanded. Ritz looked at him apologetically.

"Sorry! It's just that…well, you saw it! I can do that, and you responded. No regular blade could deflect that. It took something from within _you,_" she said. Kael didn't release his glare, but relaxed his muscles.

"You've been exposed to the book a lot, haven't you?" Marché asked calmly.

"Three good years," Kael replied. "Now, are all of you nuts, or am I?"

"There's little to explain, it seems. Only you weren't here that night that we all discussed what we dreamed for...and then what happened to us. And now, it hasn't gone away since then!" Marché said. Kael was still lost, but sheathed his katana and removed his stare from Ritz just in case.

"You must learn not to be so quick to anger, kohai," his sensei, Onizuka from Nagasaki, had once told him with a smile. "Glare only at those who intend you or others harm. Never one's that simply test your skill." Kael was astonished that somehow he was tested just like Onizuka had sad to him, feeling stupid for getting angry like that.

"Guys! Guys! Guys!" Donned was shouting. They didn't realize it until then. He was pointing frantically at the television.

_"Unknown beasts and humanoids have begun running through Los Angeles wildly, slaughtering many! The death toll has risen to over 2,000 in the past hour in the city alone, and this is happening around the world! It's hardly believable, and the military is mobilizing all possible…_"

"What does this mean?" Ritz asked, her breath short as she watched it. They all stared at the television, silent. The air grew tighter. Kael narrowed his eyes again and cleaned out his ears with a finger to make sure what he heard was right. He then checked to see if it was just a TV series or something. It wasn't.

"It…It…It looks like…we need to go back! Somehow, the worlds have merged! I know it sounds crazy, but we have to go. NOW!" Marché said loudly, stuttering at first. "This ISN'T the real world after all! Mewt, is your dad informed!"

"Yes, I told him last night about our theory! I…don't know what to say!"

"Can we all agree to keep our memories, nothing changed, and stay together? We need to wish this as a group! You too, Kael!" Kael's head was swinging in confusion.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!" Kael shouted. His brain was working frantically, watching the news, listening to Marché rambling about something, and the piercing stares.

"Yes!" Mewt answered.

"No…Maybe…Yes! I guess there's no choice!" Ritz said loudly.

"I'm sure!" Donned said.

"KAEL?" Marché shouted.

"WHAT, DAMMIT!"

"YES OR NO? WITH US OR NO! YOU'LL LOSE YOUR MEMORY IF YOU DON'T!"

"YES!" he answered on impulse.

The book began glowing a deep yellow, and all of their hands slapped down onto the pages of the old book by an invisible force. Kael tried to pull away, but the force kept pulling. Suddenly, a strange fluent language began spilling from all of their mouths. Kael's head began to get dizzy. Blackness slowly revolved around the room until there was no more color or light. The last thought ran through his mind in an echo. _Dead? Dead? Dead? Dead?_

The same shadowy figure suddenly appeared in his mind, pointing a gnarled, rotting hand at him with long yellow nails, glaring with those yellow eyes through the concealment of the hood.

"YESSSSS!" A roar echoed at him.

He felt himself lose consciousness.


	4. Chapter 3: Arrival

Chapter 3: Arrival

Kael awoke slowly, his head spinning. A warm wind rolled over his face, and he listened as it rustled leaves seemingly above him and on the ground. He suddenly twitched as a bug landed on his cheek, making him reach lazily up to slap it away. Another gasp nearby made him snap his eyes open.

Green foliage surrounded him along with many towering oak trees that were swaying in the wind. Noon sunlight crept through many gaps in the leaves above him, the soil he was lying on was a light brown color. Struggling against the glare of the sunlight, he saw the outline of a human figure a few paces away.

"Saljik'al! Itil manu paha del'ja leeril!" he heard a girl say. Panicking slightly, Kael got up onto his arms and started crawling away but collapsed, a pain searing up his right arm. A few moments of silence except for the sounds of singing birds, then he heard the sound of footsteps crushing leaves coming closer to him.

"Who's there?" Kael shouted, searching for his katana in sweeps along the dirt with his uninjured arm. The footsteps stopped abruptly. _What's going on? Where the hell am I!_ He thought desperately, slowly remembering the sudden news report, Marche, Ritz, Mewt, and Donned all making a sudden pact and touching the book and asking Kael the same, and then remembering having had agreed. And the cloaked figure.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the feminine voice replied, rather sweetly. "I forgot that you Humes don't speak Viera." Kael lifted his head and looked around, now used to the light, and his eyes settled on the girl. She was wearing a dark sea-blue colored cloak with golden designs on the shoulder that went down to her ankles, a blue sleeveless shirt with a collar that went halfway up her neck, and short blue pants, revealing much of her thighs, and elaborately designed brown boots that went up her shins. She had a light tanned and smooth-looking skin and sharp pale green eyes. Her hair was a little longer than shoulder length, straight, and a beautiful silver-white color. A pair of furry, brown, and rabbit-like ears stuck out from behind the hair pointing skyward. She was about a head shorter than Kael without the slightly tall ears, looked about the same age, and her face almost perfectly angled, cute, and had a nice thin figure.

"Uhhh…" He found himself lost for words. _Rabbit-like ears? White hair? The hell?_

"What strange clothing," She said, giggling. She started walking toward him, but he shot backward into a tree using his legs. "Aren't you warm in those?"

She had a point. The wind was warm, but so was the temperature itself, making him sweat slightly. He removed the blue scarf from his neck and removed the jacket, leaving only his navy-blue T-shirt and baggy bluejeans.

"Where am I?" He asked finally.

"Nubswood Forest," She replied. "I thought you were dead, but when I got up to you, you shot awake. Are you okay?"

"What country?"

"Um…Ivalice. Did you hit your head or something?"

"Ivalice isn't a country, it's my town. And it's snowing," Kael said.

"Ivalice is a whole country…are you okay?" She asked again.

"No it's…" Kael stopped. _Wait…the book. Am I going nuts? This is a dream right?_ Kael pinched himself. He jumped as a surge of pain shot up his arm.

"Now why would you do that?" She asked, blinking and cocking her head.

"Making sure I'm not dreaming," he said. She giggled.

"What's your name?" She asked, coming closer. Kael pressed against the tree again as if trying to knock it down out of his way.

"Stay back!" Kael said. "Please."

"But your hurt, your arm! I think…" She said. "If you'd just let me…"

"No thanks!" Kael said. "It's…uh…Kael." He didn't see any reason why not to tell her or anyone.

"My name's Elfriede, but you can call me Kari, if you want," She said, coming closer. Kael stopped protesting. She got kneeled on both knees and looked at him face to face. Her eyes wandered from his face to his shoulder, and she poked his right shoulder, making him recoil in pain.

"What did you do that for!" He shouted through clenched teeth. She glared at him.

"Trying to help!" She said angrily. "Now hold still!"

"Not much help if you poke it!"

"Well I needed to see which shoulder."

"_I _could've told you that!"

"Hold still!" She said sharply, then muttered, "Humes are so touchy." A tooth in one corner of her mouth was sharp and quite apparent. She pulled out a long white cloth from a large rucksack that was slung around her shoulder and wrapped it around his shoulder, pulling it tight. When she was done, she placed a palm on it and closed her eyes. She began muttering in some strange language, Kael watching in slight interest. Her hand glowed a bright white color, and then faded away.

"There! You should be better in about three hours," She said, showing obvious pride of herself through a grin, the sharp tooth flashing again. Kael moved his arm up and down. The pain was still there, although it was much less.

"What was that?" He asked. He felt more comfortable now, although his head was still trying to explode with thoughts and questions and the headache at the same time.

"Red Magic. I'm doubling up on classes. I want to be a royal healer for whichever side wins, and at least somewhat decent in Snipering and Archery. Maybe some Elementalism, but not likely." She said. Kael's head began buzzing louder.

_Okay…a few things at a time,_ He told himself. "Have you seen any others around here? One has white hair like yours, another has wild brown hair about the same color as mine, another with long blonde hair, and one in a wheelchair."

"Wheel…chair?" She repeated. "What's that?"

"Never mind, have you seen them?"

"No, just you. We're about five miles from the capital city Cyril, and I just got this far today. I can't smell anyone else but you."

"…smell?" he asked, blinking. He sniffed his arm, noticing only a weak sign of lack of bathing.

"Uh, yes," She said as if he was stupid. "We Viera have sharp senses of smell. You're not from around here, are you?"

"Well, I do have 'strange clothing'," He said, making her giggle again briefly.

"Why are you here?" She asked.

"I…I dunno."

"Maybe you did hit your head," She said. "Well, do you want to help me find Kaltuzor? Nasty bugger. Are you in a clan?"

"Uhh…huh?" He asked, his head now a raging storm. She suddenly reached to her side and pulled out his katana, and he grabbed for it immedietly.

"Why'd you take it? And what? No, I'm not a clan? Who's Kaltuzor?" he asked, knowing he sounded like a curious five-year-old.

"Well, as soon as you help me find the disgusting Bangaa bandit and fight him, I'll help ya out!" She said. "What do you say?"

Kael sighed. _I hope I wake up soon._ "Sure…what's a Bangaa? But wait…fight!"

"Yes, fight. Usually, they don't go down that easily. Bangaa are lizard people, if you want to be abrupt about it," She snarled suddenly. "Never did like most of them." Kael noticed her fingers run along the pommel of a silver rapier sheathed at her side on a leather belt, and then noticed, along with her rucksuck, a large red bow wrapped around her body.

"What're you going to do?"

"Fight him and bring him in for a bounty, of course! The filthy lizard has been stealing sheep for some reason from farmers. I need to…to…prove myself for a clan, and this is a good way to do it!"

Questions buzzed through his mind. _Viera? Bangaa? Hume? Oh, Hume must be short for humans like me. Clans? Cyril? How'd I get in this forest? Where are the others? My head hurts!_ _This Ivalice is a country? She could do magic…like Ritz did in Marche's room!_ He gave up and decided to go with the flow.

"Sure."

"Yay!" She said. "Oh…uhh…but don't get in my way!" She said, putting on a haughty tone. Kael sweat dropped.

"What?"

"Come on, work with me! I have to look tough!"

"You're shorter than I am with a thin rapier and a piece of wood with string…yeeeah," He teased, as if talking with a friend.

"Shut up!" she said. Kael laughed. The sun was beginning to set. Kari grabbed his hand and started to help him up, but let go and fell forward—right on top of him.

Kael blushed, feeling his body temperature rising and the girl's own warmth seeping into him. She lifted her head which had fallen over his shoulder and looked at him right in the eyes, her arms pinning him by the shoulders, sitting right on his right thigh. She stared at him, and he returned it.

"Uhh…" Kael said, lost for words. He felt her breasts push against his chest. She suddenly gasped and then scrambled up to her feet.

"Sorry!" She said. "I'm so clumsy."

"And stupid." Kael teased again, getting up.

"JUNDIAS NIL!" She shouted, waving her arms in the air as she walked through the forest. He knew from the tone it meant something along the lines of 'you idiot,' but laughed. He followed her as she weaved between trees, deeper into the wood.

"Are you good with a katana?" She asked after two-and-a-half hours of silently walking downhill. The sun was setting, painting the sky a deep orange and red color dashed with thin clouds. Kael finally removed his bandage from his arm, feeling as good as new. They entered a small clearing with a small stump in the middle of tall grass. They waded through the grass as though it was waist-high water, listening as bugs and birds chirped.

"Yeah, pretty good." He said.

"Good. I'm glad to have help, but like I said, don't get in my way!" She said.

"Of what?"

"If you get picked to get in the clan by doing better than me, or if you get in my line of attack!"

"I'm not really sure I want to fight at all," Kael said, shaking his head. She turned around and rolled her eyes.

"You may have to, and you said you'd help me!"

"Well I didn't exactly plan on fighting! I mean, I've never gotten in a real fight! With swords anyway." He thought back to Nagasaki, where he'd gotten into two fights over rather stupid things.

"Well…" An ear shattering whistle echoed around the forest. Kari suddenly looked skyward, looking all around them. Kael watched her while looking amongst the trees, trying to get closer to her.

"Whisling arrow. His clan or another clan is nearby. I don't know if they're friendly. Stay still," she said. Kael raised an eyebrow, but insinctively put a hand on the hilt of his sword, rubbing the nylon wrapping with his thumb.

Three Humes wearing tight, dark-purple clothing with a similarly colored wrap covering all of their faces but their eyes. In each of their hands was an unsheathed katana. One of them pointed outward.

"There she is! Who's the guy with the weird clothes?" the ninja called. Kari backed toward Kael until she was next to him, both of them facing the approaching ninjas.

"Remember what I said about having to fight? Well that's the way things are looking," she said. Kael felt a bead of sweat, hoping that the attackers would stop. They didn't.

"Kill her! The master needs silence and no disturbance!" Another harsh female voice shouted. Kael whipped around and saw a Viera wearing the same clothing, her race only noticeable because of the ears that stuck out of the wrap over her face.

One of the attackers removed a bow that was wrapped around them and, even while running, swiftly loaded an arrow into the string and pulled it back, aiming at Kari. The arrow was loosed, the bow string letting off a soft twang sound. Kael's eyes widened, and the world seemingly slowed. He pulled the katana from its sheath in almost un-human like speed and got in front of her, lifting the blade over his head and swinging downward as fast as he could.

The arrow ricocheted off the blade and split in two, going to the left and right of them. Kael slowly recovered, panting slightly. Kari was doing the same, her breath rattling slightly and wide eyed.

"What the…?" Kael said, trying to recollect what happened.

"Come on!" Kari shouted suddenly. He listened as she pulled her own bow and loaded an arrow. She released one at the other archer, and he fell to the ground in a cry of pain. The other two got into sword range.

Kael roared as they did and clashed with the nearest one. The sound of scraping metal came from behind him, making him assume Kari had taken the other. The eyes of the ninja were changing with each blow that they exchanged, and Kael almost felt himself smiling.

The ninja whirled to gain speed and sliced for his abdomen. Kael ducked and rolled behind him and swung at his ankles, but he watched as the shinobi leapt nimbly out of the way. _Please don't make me hurt you,_ Kael pleaded.

Kael leapt at him, using the hilt and hitting his opponent directly in the solar plexus. He released his double handed grip and punched him across the face with a right hook. The back of his head exploded into pain, and he fell face first into the ground. Groaning slightly, he rolled out of the way, listening to the shallow ring as a blade impaled through the ground.

He leapt up and looked all around. Kari's blade was launched into the air, and her opponent grasped her by the throat and threw them onto the ground. Using his knees, he kept her pinned to the ground. He pulled a dagger from his right side, and raised it over her heart…

Kael roared and sliced through his opponent's stomach absent mindedly, and then hurled himself at Kari's attacker. The blade made a plunging noise as it impaled through flesh.

Kael's expression changed to fear. He looked at her attacker in the eye, which showed only pain, and he groaned. Kael looked over his shoulder, where the blade was sticking out of his back, stained with blood and flecks of entrail. He pulled it from his body, and he collapsed.

Kael's body felt like jell-o, his insides churning and shaking wildly. His breath rattled, and a chill swept over him. He looked behind him, where the other lay dead as well, blood spilling from the stomach. Kari was still on the ground, a tear going down her cheek.

_I killed…I killed…killed killed killed…please God, let me wake up!_ He prayed. Silence. _PLEASE GOD!_

He vomit what was in his stomach. Wiping his mouth, he waited a few more moments before helping Kari up.

"Come on," she said, her tone normal but with a shakiness. Kael trudged after her as she went into the woods on the other side, the other Viera not anywhere to be seen.

"I…I…" Kael tried to say, but couldn't find anything. She stopped in the middle of the wood, a small clearing surrounded by trees and a stream trickling nearby. She collapsed to her knees.

"You see…you see what happens without proper engagments!" She shouted to no one. "No judges means death! DAMN THE MORONS THAT KILLED THE QUEEN!" She broke down into tears. Kael stood there, watching, unable to find words or movement, the taste of acid hanging on his tongue.

_Why won't I wake?_ he asked himself.

_Because you aren't dreaming._


	5. Chapter 4: Silent Night in Nubswood

Chapter 4 - Silent Night in Nubswood

Kael leaned against the back of a thick oak tree, poking absent-mindedly at the fire that the two of them had managed to make. The minutes seemed like hours as they both seemed to lament over what had happened, and he still didn't understand by what Kari meant by "judges" somehow being able to stop dying. And more so about the murder of the queen she had mentioned. He stared into the dancing flames, his body feeling cold. A thread of moon cut through the trees, lighting patches of forest around them, the orange glow flickering through the darkness every so often.

Sticks and leaves cracking in the darkness announced Kari's return, carrying a pot of water. Kael propped a conductible metal plate over the flames as she went to place it and she sat on the opposite side, staring just as deeply into the flames as he had previously. Kael opened his mouth to say something, but all that escaped was an un-hearable hoarse whisper. He shut his mouth and shook his head.

"You know, with the judges, they wouldn't have died. They would have been knocked out, though," Kari said suddenly. Kael removed his eyes from the flames and stared at her with a blank expression. "And I intend to make it my mission to kill the one's who killed the queen…sending us into this civil war."

"Your explaining things without me asking, or your just repeating yourself," Kael said plainly. She returned his look and nodded.

"I figured as much when you were so against fighting to begin with. Almost everyone in this realm is accustomed to swordplay, although up until now, no one would die. Not like this," she said, and then paused a long time, looking at him. A smile suddenly appeared. "You were very skilled and…and…you saved my life."

"That doesn't justify me killing anyone."

"You saved my life, and that's enough justification. I still have that sick feeling, but I would be dead weren't it for you."

Kael shrugged and looked back into the flames. Kari got up and sat next to him, wrapping her arms around her knees and rocking back and forth, her smile now a grin. "But you know, not all is lost. We should go and honor their souls as they disappear into the winds, where they will linger until the day they reincarnate."

Kael looked up again, thinking about what she said. It sounded a lot like the Shinto belief of waiting until the fortieth day after death when one would reincarnate, and depending on the weight of their heart, would either reincarnate or be born into being a kami, or spirit. "What happens?"

"You'll see when the moon reaches its peak. Come on." She got up and started backtracking to where they had originally been, and Kael followed. He took his sword in case the other ninja was still waiting for them.

When they reached the edge of the wood, the tall grass in the field swayed gently in the cool breeze, and he enjoyed the feeling of it as it brushed through his hair. Kari stood up straight and looked toward the sky, and Kael enjoyed being able to see the stars so clearly. He was so used to the city that he had never assumed the sky had such clarity in the night.

"Now."

From the tall grass a bluish glow emanated from within it, and spheres of what looked like large blue electrons slowly swayed into the sky. Soon, the entire field was alight with the glowing energies, and slowly they dispersed into the wind. He watched in amazement as they all faded into the wind. When it was all done, Kari sat straight up on both knees and bowed. Kael instinctively did the same and held it as long as she did. When she stood again, they went back into the wood.

"It's a belief of us Viera that you honor the dead by witnessing their _haliju'nul_, or Holy Migration," she said as they trudged back into their tiny campsite. The fire was fading slightly, so Kael poked it again with a stick to re-kindle it. Kari reached into her rucksack and pulled out another tiny cooking pot and removed the boiled water from the fire to let it cool.

Kael leaned against his tree again and shut his eyes, the thoughts and confusions still lingering worse than ever. Despite this, he felt more serene, apart for the scent of blood that seemed to him would never disappear.

"What sort of world did you come from?" Kari asked.

"Hm?"

"Your obviously not even from this country or continent, for that matter. And we learn to expect the unexpected, from new technologies made by Moogles to sudden appearances and disappearances."

Kael explained what his world was like with little hesitation, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to tell her this either. He could trust her.

"There are rumors," Kari began slowly, nodding. "Rumors that the ones who killed the queen suddenly disappeared. The remaining clan members told his story as if he was some great hero, and not one persecuted them from murder. And about the other world he claimed to be from, emphasized by a Moogle by the name of Montblanc."

"I see…but what's a Moogle?"

"They look like rabbits with a little difference in appearance and have red pom-poms that stick up from their heads. Clever most of the time," she explained.

"Enough seriousness!" she said suddenly, making him jump. "I usually don't like this kind of talk, but whatever." A grin spread across her face and she began mixing together what seemed to be a soup with a kind of meat Kael had never seen before. It smelled rather good, however.

When she spooned some out for the both of them, Kael ate appreciatively, forgetting how hungry he was. They ate in silence, and he just enjoyed her company. All his worries seemingly dissappeared, from the thought of camping out here, alone with a girl, no less, to how he got here, to the thought about his new friends, to his grandfather, to the whole other world he left behind, and most of all what had just recently happened.

When they finished, Kael helped her clean it up and went to the nearby trickling stream to wash the pot that she cooked the stew in. He returned with the pot full of water, set it down next to the flames, and watched as she crawled into a sleeping bag and said, "Good night!"

Kael got on the other side of the fire and laid down with his back to the hot flames. Yawning, he reached for the pot, propped himself up with his arms, doused the flames and watched as it hissed, and then laid back down. Kari suddenly shot up as he laid down again.

"Hm?" Kael asked.

"I hate the dark!" she said. Kael sweat dropped.

"Uh, you're out here by yourself, with a camp, and your scared o the dark?"

"Shut up! I didn't think you'd put out the flames!"

"You can't leave a fire…"

"I do!"

Kael rolled his eyes and settled down, closing his eyes. "HEY!" Kari shouted. "Don't go to sleep on me! I hate the dark!"

"Well what do you want me to do? We need to get to sleep, and I need to think."

"Well sleep next to me!"

Kael froze, then shouted, "WHAT!"

"You heard me!"

"Uh…no," Kael said simply.

"That's not very nice! I h-hate the dark!" her voice suddenly shuddered. Kael sat back up and looked at her. She was looking in every direction amongst the trees, an expression of worry on her. Kael did the same, but did not see anything of particular interest apart for an owl which he had never seen before. It hoot happily.

"YEEEK!"

"It's an owl! Sheesh!"

"I don't care! It's d-dark!"

"Oh, God…"

"Just get over here!"

Kael gave up. He got up, his muscles and bones aching, and slumped against a nearby tree. "Good enough?" he asked, folding his arms and leaning his head to the side.

Kari wormed closer to him on the other side. Kael looked at her and tried inching away, but he felt a fist pound against his chest.

"Hey!"

"Don't move! I can't sleep in the pure dark…"

Kael, once again, gave up. He slumped his head to the side, and after a few minutes listened as he heard her breathing becoming much more constant and low. Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open, and sleeping with a peaceful expression. Kael flushed, turning away. _Very cute…too cute._ He fell asleep.

Kari's ears perked, sensing him as he fell asleep. She lifted her head and smiled at his sleeping self. She inched toward him, placed a delicate hand on his chest, and whispered into his ear, "Thank you. For everything. I just barely met you, and you saved my life. I was so scared, but I couldn't tell you that." She kissed him on the cheek and curled up next to him, glad that he didn't wake.


	6. Chapter 5: Lizards, Sheep, and Speed! Oh...

Chapter 5 - Lizards, Sheep, and Speed. Oh My!

Kael slowly opened his eyes, once again struggling against the sunlight filtering from the canopy above. It was significantly cooler than the previous day, but much more active with life. A moan from next to him made him jump.

Kari was blinking at him blearily. Her head on his chest. He recoiled slightly, slamming his head into the tree. She smiled and said with a slurred voice, "G'mornin'…"

"What's up with that!" he shouted. She grinned weakly and +sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Some'un uncomfortable sleepin' 'round girls er sumthin'?"

Kael groaned and got up, stumbling slightly as his legs gave way. Slowly, the two managed to clean up camp and neatly repalce everything in Kari's backpack, which Kael slung around his shoulders. "Where are we going now?"

"Deeper until we can find Kaltuzor. I know he's around here, I caught a scent last night but then it vanished," she replied.

"Erm, I've been meaning to ask you about that," Kael said, grinning.

"Sharp sense of smell, sharper sense of hearing. I feel bad for you Humes, not much of either. I hear your sense of taste and touch are stronger than ours, though."

As they started into the woods, Kael asked, "Will we have to go through a repeat of yesterday evening?"

Kari stopped in her tracks, making him accidently go a few feet more in front of her. He turned around, keeping on a casual face. She shrugged.

"Maybe." She started again, and he followed her by her side.

"So what's this clan. You said you had to prove yourself for one."

"Clan's are the basis of Ivalice. Once governed by laws, anyway. I want to join one just to feel like I'm doing something. I hope I don't get into the civil war, though."

"Hmm?"

"They're fighting for the throne, now. Clans, mostly," she said. Kael nodded. History had told him once a royal family was gone, there was most always struggle for power. Sometimes with the installation of a new government, other times with the same one. Whether it was a good or bad government was in the eye of the beholder.

"And what happens if you do get pulled into it?" Kael asked in a friendly tone.

"I'll stick with it, I suppose. I'm more of a healer than anything, anyway. And I'm not really fond of fighting anyway."

"Then why…?"

"Because I have to."

Kael questioned her no further. She suddenly smiled again. "So, what kind of girls do you like?"

"What?" Kael asked, bewildered. She grinned playfully this time, leaning in closer to his face, her sharp tooth showing.

"Well?"

"You don't ask guys that question!"

"Aw, come on, I don't bite!"

"I doubt it, especially with that fang…"

"FANG! It's a tooth that gives me my cuteness! It won't go away, though…"

"Cuteness? What are you talking about?"

"You…!"

Kael laughed. She stopped in midair with her hand balled into a fist and laughed as well. He loved playing these kinds of games back in Nagasaki, even though he had only done it with two other girls. All his life, he wondered if he would just play those games, never to have a true relationship. He always got mixed feelings about his looks; one day he swore he was the ugliest thing to walk the earth, the next he thought he was pretty good looking. He just couldn't be sure anymore, so he never worked up the guts to ask a girl out, even though he was sure they liked his personality.

For another hour of treking through the wood, they talked about random things, and Kari taught him some of the Viera language. He found the tongue rolls and rather flowing language difficult, most sentences she said she had not paused at all.

When noon came, they stopped and settled in a small part of untamed forest. Kael settled on a stump and leaned back, enjoying the sound of the vibrant area. The trees were slowly growing thicker, but it was as light as it had been in the previous portion. He took a deep breath and drank some water after Kari. They started off again, this time in silence.

"Smoke. Look." She pointed toward the sky. A thin trail of smoke slowly ascended into the pale-blue sky and then faded. Quietly, they made their way to the edge. Cautiously, Kari peered around from behind a tree and nodded. "Look," she repeated.

Kael slowly peaked from his hiding place, one foot on a rock. A small camp was in a larger clearing, but there was no grass and a large fire was crackling in the middle of it. Canvas tents were erected in a circular fashion, and Hume men dressed in green cloaks and white clothing and black boots, looking no older than their twenties, were either working on the camp or just talking. Kari pointed to the far end of the mix of tents.

An orange, lizard-like humanoid with a bulky tail and long snout was looking deep into a large blue tent, snapping his jaws and lashing his tongue, speaking in English that he could not quite make out. The Bangaa was over a foot taller than he was, and built with much more muscle mass.

"We're going against THAT! The two of us?" Kael whispered. She nodded. "ARE YOU NUTS?"

"Shhh!" She made a cutting motion over her neck. "Fighting may not be necessary. Stay here." She winked and stepped out of the hiding place. Kael grabbed for her arm and flailed his arms.

"You ARE nuts!"

"Just trust me! I don't think the ninjas were his."

Kael released and watched as she went out. He peered around again, and watched as the working Humes looked at her and stopped, then hid again. "Oi! Who're you!" a man called.

"I'm lost," he heard her say with feigned sadness in her voice. "Can you tell me where the nearest road is to Cyril?"

"Not sure meself, girl," another man with a rougher voice said. He listened as Kari pout openly in attempt to get sympathy. _How typical,_ Kael thought.

"Oi! Boss!" another called, sounding much younger. "A girl is here, says she's lost. Must've seen the smoke." Kael risked peering around the corner again, and saw only four men in total standing in the camp. Kari was a few paces away, looking down at the ground and standing with a rather charming pose, her weight resting on one leg and lifting the other slightly, her finger touching her lips as if deep in thought. He whapped his forehead, rolled his eyes, and hid again. _Christ…_

A low hissing speech became clear. "Who, now? You! Tend to the ssssheep! We need to ssstart collecting wool ssssoon, and that way we can…" the Bangaa paused. "Ssssell it in town to help me buy more sssheep. Yesss."

"Oh, you have sheep? How cuute!" he heard Kari say. He peered around again. The towering Bangaa was closer than the others, only about five paces away from her and inspecting her. Thoroughly. Suddenly, Kari put a finger near her lower back and started pointing to Kael's left and making a circular motion, and then a small cherade of pulling a sword from a scabbard. He understood.

He retreated sligthly into the wood, wary of his steps, and circled around the camp. Once at the other side, he peered around another tree. The men and Kaltuzor had their backs turned to him, and Kari flashed a glance at him when she saw him. He snuck quietly into a nearby tent.

A slightly disturbing smell of dung and raw wool reached his nose, and sheep, some chewing on hay, looked up at him, some disregarding and munching peacefully. _Okay, now what?_ There were about a dozen of them, each different sizes, and apparently not the traditional custom of people who raised sheep having the same kind. He went around them and drew his katana and started waving the broad side of the blade at them. Immedietly, they started flooding out the back entrance of the tent—silently. Slightly surprised, he followed them out, kept them together, and went deeper into the foliage.

They all bolted. Kael gaped and watched as they dashed nimbly into the forest. _What the hell!_

Panicking, he started after them, stopped halfway, turned around, did it again going for the sheep, then did it over again. Finally, he decided to go back to Kaltuzor's camp. He leaned up against the tree, his heart pounding, and tried waving to Kari. She just smiled. His breath stopped and he raised an eyebrow.

The Bangaa was now barely two feet away from her, saying something he could not hear. Suddenly, a scaled, taloned, three-fingered and one-thumbed hand reached out and touched her thigh, making her giggle. Kael rolled his eyes again, looked back into the wood, and went back around to where they originally came from.

"So sorry," Kari was saying in a sweet, lulling voice. "I can't, as handsome a devil as you are, I must say. I think I'll just go this way, is that okay?"

The Bangaa grumbled and shook his head. "To let sssomething ssso pretty go away? I think not. I can guide you."

Kari was insistent. "So sorry, but I must be going."

Kael nodded to no one, sweat dropping and his heart beating faster. _Come on, you piece of cow dung! Just forget it, let us get away, then you can roar at your loss. But why'd Kari just smile when she saw I lost them?_

He heard a gasp for breath, and a struggle. He shot his head back out to look, and saw Kaltuzor gripping her by the throat, but gently. His thin black eyes narrowed at her. "I'm afraid that _I _mussst inssisst," he snarled. A longue tongue escaped from his jaws and moved toward her, dripping with saliva.

Kael leapt from the place and charged for him. Immedietly, Kaltuzor released his grip and pulled a huge sword from the scabbard on his back, shaped like an Arabian sword, put it to her neck, and pulled her into his body. He stopped the charge, the three other men leaping in front.

This time, he was ready. Kael flipped the blade over, and, although it made swinging more difficult, hurled himself at them. Without difficulty, the blunt side smashed into the side of the middle Hume's neck, making him groan then collapse. Kael ducked as two swords swung that would've lifted his head from his shoulders, and did a spinning low-kick. Both of them fell. Feeling more confident, he drew a dagger from one of the men's belts and hurled it at the Bangaa's leg.

Kaltuzor barely flinched. He smirked, showing a vast assortment of sharp teeth. "Make a move, and she dies."

Kael was defeated. He looked up, and noticed Kari's clenched teeth as she struggled for breath and struggling for freedom. She was now off of her feet.

"She's my friend!" Kael yelled. "Why are you doing this to her? I lost her!" He lied, hoping for it to work.

"Ssshe's ssso pretty, why ssshould I leave her to you?" He said. Kael froze in surprise. _He hasn't thought about the sheep!_

"Then why'd you threaten to kill her?"

"Becausse it always worksss."

"Heh."

Kael stood erect and sheathed his sword, wary of the other men. This is what his sensei had taught him. The second form of the kamikaze. It wasn't even close to the original meaning of the Japanese pilots that commit suicide by crashing into American structures and ships, or even to the typhoon's that stopped the mass Chinese invasion of Japan. This was "true divine wind", he was taught. To move so fast, no one could see except those highly trained enough.

For over three years he had been in kendo, he had mastered this, but kept it secret from everyone else. He closed his eyes, and the Bangaa stopped breathing.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

Kael snapped his eyes open and felt his body weight shift forward. In an instant, he was behind Kaltuzor, the wind rushing through the long dangling and scaly ears. Kael lifted his blade and slammed the hilt into where the kidney should be, whipped around and slammed him in the neck. With nothing more than a gasp, it released grip of Kari, sending her collapsing to the ground and coughing. More gasps for air, then the giant collapsed, sending a mild tremor in the area.

Panting, Kael stood from the squatting position, and sheathed his sword. Kari was now looking at him, panting heavily, sweating immensely, and staring at him in fear. Kael wondered why. He walked over to her, but inspected the Bangaa first. He was breathing slowly. The two other men had gotten up but bolted for the forest.

"That was…incredible…and scary," Kari breathed, smiling. "We got the bounty."

"Yeah," Kael said, much happier this time. He didn't kill any of them, although he was sure the two he had knocked out would be hurting pretty badly soon.

"To take down a Bangaa like that…ow!" She yelped as he helped her up. "Thanks. To take out a Bangaa like that was incredible by itself. But so far, no one's been able to move with as much speed as you just did."

"It took a lot out of me, that's for sure." Kael was starting to feel more fatigued, panting more heavily. "Nice…er…_seduction_.

"Oh, that's not the word I'd use, sheesh!" she said. "Come on, let's take him to what we supposedly call a 'government.' The road is a little west of here."

"Kaltuzor?"

"They'll be here to pick him up. And I can get into a clan! You too, get to the same one I'm going to!"

"Do I want to do that!"  
"Please?"

"Hm?"

"Oh, just do it!"

"Why?"

"For me," she said, beaming at him. She put her fingers to her lips and whistled loudly before Kael could respond. A pigeon flew from the trees and landed on her shoulder, cooing contededly. She filled the tube with a tiny scroll and launched it. The pigeon circled once before darting southward.


	7. Chapter 6: The Dream

Wow! I dunno what kind of drugs I was on, but I re-read the previous chapter 6. And wow, I didn't even understand my own story! I simplified it--hopefully for the better. And thanks for the reviews, and I'll try to put more depth if you would like. I'm trying to become a good writer to hopefully write my own trilogy...probably won't happen, but hey, I can dream.

Oh, and to the guy labelled as "me" in the anonymous reviewers. It's people like you that make people like me smile at morons like yourself. Great vocabulary skills, you'd belong nicely in Southern California. Ah, but you're just a flamer, just to stir-up anger. Sad, so sad. XD

Anyway, hopefully this is better. Less rushed.

* * *

Chapter 6 – The Haunting Cries

_Kael was alone. The darkness of the woods revealed nothing but what the thin sliver of moonlight could along patches of ground. The silence made his ears strain uncomfortably. He crept silently, the sticks and leaves beneath him cracking seemingly as loud as a whip with each step. His katana was gripped almost painfully is his fist, the sheath pointing behind him but in a position so that he could swing in a wide arc along with the sword.._

_A rush of wind made him whip around. He narrowed his eyes, straining them to pick up any movement. When he saw nothing but the dark trees and ground, he sighed with relief, turned back around, and—cold steel rushed through his stomach._

_It happened so fast all he could do was grunt once. He held his breath, his hands releasing his katana and locked them around the sharp blade, curved slightly like his own. Warm blood seeped from his palms and a steady stream spilled in little amounts from the corners of his mouth. A cold laugh swirled around him. Kael suppressed groaning, clenching his teeth and eyes together as his body exploded with pain._

_On the other side of the blade was a boy about his height, grinning with sick pleasure. He was very pale, looked about his age, and his hair was silver-blonde hair was spiked. He wore a blue soldiers uniform with a light chest plate and blue pants that tucked into his black boots. A pair of leather gloves that revealed only the dorsum of his fingers was pulled onto each hand, gripping the navy-blue nylon wrap around the hilt of his katana._

_"Who…are you?" Kael said slowly, trying to keep the strength in his voice._

_"Consider this a warning," the boy said, his voice like cold venom. "As for who I am, don't worry yourself. Just stay out of my way, wretch. You don't even belong here, or with her. My Master only."_

_"What're you talking abou…"_

_"SILENCE!" The boy retracted the blade slightly, flipped it still inside Kael's body, then shoved it back in, making Kael grunt, blood spluttering from his mouth. _

"_Such a pity that one with so much power cannot learn to utilize his fear and convert it to strength."_

_Mustering what strength he had left, he watched as the towering hooded figure stood behind the boy, its robes swaying gently in the cold winds._

"_But even I wonder what fear you have? Is it death? No, you don't look the type to be afraid of the natural cycle. Is it fear of being alone? Losing someone? Even I don't know. But I will discover it soon and let it consume you for your own good. That is my duty. Silly mortals are so fun to toy with, and how intriguing how the smallest person can have such an impact."_

Kael shot awake, panting heavily. Slices of the vivid dream still drifted through his mind. Gasping slightly, he wiped a coldsweat that perspired from his forehead. His heart was pounding uncomfortably and quickly, and his fingers were trembling. He pat his chest, feeling for the stab wound. There wasn't one.

Sighing with relief but still shaken, he sat up and shook the dizziness from his head. Kari was curled up a few inches next to him, breathing loudly but peacefully and a small grin on her face as though having a pleasant dream. He wrapped his arms around his knees, and stared lazily at the fullmoon overhead.

Earlier, they had started along the main road that cut jaggedly through the forest, made of orange compact clay, slightly dusty. She had explained about the sheep and how the Nu Mou beastmasters had a special bond with his flock, so they would come back. He had asked about what the Nu Mou were, but she said that it would be better to wait and meet one himself. They had talked until late in the afternoon when the sun's bottom edge was just barely touching the horizon. Kari turned into the woods, and together they found a small open area in the thickness of the wood.

"We're almost there. We could have kept going and get there when the moon is out, but it'd be better to get there by daylight. Now travelling around Ivalice is like every man or woman for themselves," she had said.

"Why?"

"Well, the gates are always closed at night." She had laughed. "But remember what I said about the civil war?"

"Yeeah…"

"Well, it's a free-for-all just because of it. The city isn't divided—yet, anyway—but most ex-soldiers have chosen sides. On one, you have the pro-monarchy. On the other, the pro-democracy. It's a bad, bad stalemate right now. But, luckily, both sides have agreed to leave citizens out of the fray—unless they get in the way. So, the city runs normally. A battle nowadays is common. Including death."

"Death wasn't normal?"

"Not in battle. The deceased prince's laws made it so when clans and soldiers would begin a battle, the judges were there to ensure laws were enforced and none died."

"How was that possible?"

"It's a well guarded secret, and unfortunately, now lost." She had paused, setting up bits of camp with Kael's help. "I was so…so unaccustomed to death like that. Thank the gods that you so quickly dispatched the Bangaa and his lackeys without killing. Speaking of which, what gave you such speed? It's almost un-Hume like."

"Lucky, I guess." Kael had said. "I was trained since I was little, and I ran every day and other things."

"Even still, I was awed. But you realize that they weren't the best swordsmen?"

Kael had laughed, not feigning. "I realized that."

"But I'm not saying you're bad! I was impressed."

Kael had grinned. "Don't patronize me."

"I'm serious!"

"Uh-huh."

After they had finished setting up the small but comfortable camp, they decided not to make a fire. The air was intensely humid and muggy considering it was near the end of summer. In the middle of eating cold but tasty bread, Kari had broken the silence again.

"Which side would you want?"  
"Me?"

"No, the ghost behind you."

"Heh. Anyway, I come from a democracy—well, more like a republic. But to be honest, I don't care. Monarchy has worked, and so has democracy. Both have had flaws. It's fascism I can't stand."

Kari had smiled for some reason. "I don't like talking about politics, to be honest," she was saying as the sky turned into a pale purplish-black. "But monarchy was what stabalized us—although I'd like to see how a democracy worked. I wonder which side we should choose?"

"Huh?" Kael had blinked.

"Well, the clan office told me that certain clans are aligned with either group. All of them. You have the ex-soldiers who choose themselves. But I'd rather be in a clan that's neutral. There's gotta be one of those, right?"

"You're right—no more politics. My head hurts." Kari had laughed, nodded, but he continued. "Whatever you choose. You're the only thing that I can really depend on as to where to go. I've lost everything I previously had."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"So, you'll just follow me around?"

"Well, unless you can help me determine a way to either get back to my world or help me set up a life here."

"Too hard."

"Then I'll just follow you."

"Stalker! Pervert!"

"HEY!"

Kari laughed.

Kael returned from his flashback, staring deeply at the sliver of moonlight that crept through the woods. Kari shifted slightly in her sleep. Her left ear twitched, then muttered something in gibberish, then dozed off again. He admired her beauty for a moment, then shook the thought from his head.

The dream. What do I do about the dream? A fear? But what does it mean? And a fear can become power? Yeah right. But what was with the boy with a katana and white hair? Why, why do things keep piling up? Why me, Lord? Or Lords?

He shook his head, and sighed, finally getting used to all the persistent problems. He did, however, want them to go away. _I wonder what Cyril will be like? She said it's a pretty city. But my clothes…I'll have to do something about that. Bah, ah well._

He continued to gaze at the crescent moon high above, wisps of gray clouds drifting past it every so often. _I wish life were more simple._

He layed his head back down on the soft but rough pillow of leaves and fell into uneasy sleep.


	8. Chapter 7: Cyril

Chapter 7 - Cyril

When Kael awoke the next morning, he was alone. Confused and slightly confused but not worried, he rubbed his eyes and began re-packing the camp that was left untouched. Kari's bag was gone, so he just placed them all next to her sleeping-bag.

The sky had gone from a pale pink to an orange color, the sun still very low. To occupy the time, wondering but not worrying about Kari, he removed the blade from its sheath. A fleck of blood still remained on the tip, and it wouldn't dissappear. He considered using it as a reminder of what happened on his very first day.

Finally, Kari appeared, carrying a bundle of clothing in her hand. Kael got to his feet.

"Where've you been?" he asked.

"Getting you new clothes," she said brightly, tossing them to him. "You look funny in those clothes—to us, anyway. And you won't have to carry around your sword in your hands." It was as if she had been able to read his thoughts the previous night, although he did realize how tiresome it was to carry the blade.

"Thanks." He looked at them, trying to put them together in the proper order. She had sat down to watch with some amusement. When he finally fagure out what went where, she had checked him and nodded.

He noticed how much more comfortable they were. He wore a cotton, forest-green-colored long-sleeve shirt that felt cool even in the rather humid air, the sleeves drooping slightly, and the sleeve ended half-way on his forearm, where he pulled on leather gauntlets that left only the dorsum of his fingers for air. His pants were also somewhat loose, tan-colored, and a thicker cotton, and at the bottom, it was tucked into a pair of boots, very hard and sturdy, but oddly comfortable. The last two things in his hands was a large cloak the same color as his shirt and what seemed to be a cotton belt. He looked up at her, confused.

"Here, you tie it like this," she offered, taking the cloak. She found two inconspicous leather rings on the front of his shirt, where she tied the cloak onto. Apart for when he forcefully put his arms forward, his arms were concealed in the folds. He felt weird wearing the cloak, and then Kari tied the cotton sash around his waste.

"There, you put your katana there. If you had a regular sword, I would've gotten a belt, but yeah." When he had done this, she stepped back and nodded. Kael was embarassed, never wearing an outfit like this before—especially the cloak.

When they collected everything, they returned to the road and went at a much slower pace. "Thanks for the clothes, but how much…?"

"Just five-hundred gil, actually! Don't worry about it. You look better in these clothes anyway. Although your hair could use some work." She reached over and ruffled it, making him duck out of the way, both of them laughing.

In an hour, tall walls made of strong white stone towered over them. The road slowly widened, and the trees on the sides grew thinner and thinner until all there was were grassy plains and animal tracks. A variety of people passed them and went in the same direction with them. For the first time, Kael saw Moogles—creatures that looked like rabbits and about the same height, with small black eyes and red pom-poms floating over their heads—and Nu Mou—a cross between donkeys and elephants, about as tall as humans with gray skin and a square snout—most of which wore robes instead of what Humes, Viera, and Bangaa wore.

A pair of oaken gates that opened outward instead of inward was made of highly polished oak, looking as strong as steel. As they crossed the threshold onto a stone street, Kael found himself gawking.

The city was large, including the many streets that bended and twisted amongst the buildings, some as tall as skyscrapers. Atop many important-looking buildings gilded with gold stood blue crystals that hummed gently and orbited around. Most of the public buildings were made a white marble, with an architectural design similar to that of Ancient Greece or Rome, including the indecipharable runes and pretty paintings. The streets were cluttered with people and soldiers that were mounted on things that looked like oversized chicks, as well as markets and vendors, most of them moogles that had to stand up on a stood to overlook all the potential buyers. The aroma of many foods drifted around this particular area, and even natural foliage gave the rather white city many areas of green plants, which clashed beautifully as well.

"What do ya think?" she asked, her tone amused because of his gawk. He nodded, still looking at the tallest of the buildings and the blue crystals. White clouds drifted slowly along the crystal blue skies, some in front of the sun.

"Amazing! To me, anyway," Kael said. She giggled, but then suddenly stopped.

"I have to find the pub and tell them and collect, then register then…visit my parents." She had paused slightly, her mood suddenly dropping. "Um, would you like to meet them? 'Cuz if you don't, that's fine."

"I'd like to, if you would," he said smiling. He stopped when he saw she wasn't doing the same. Her expression was somber."

"Ok," was the simple answer. She started down a wide street, Kael struggling to keep up behind her in the crows.

"What's up?" he asked. She just shook her head.

"It's nothing."

Deciding not to push it, he remained silent. _I wonder what's wrong, _he thought. They made their way and turned a corner onto a narrower street, still cluttered with people.

He had a bad feeling when he looked right into the helmet of a very heavily armored guard, wearing a horned, ebony helmet and a huge spear. When they passed, Kari looked back and then said, her mood a little better, "One of the Judges. It's thanks to them that the old laws are still upheld until the new government comes. It saves us from complete anarchy. Creepy looking, though."

Kael laughed. "Obviously. But I thought you said the Judges could stop death on the battlefield?"

"Yes…or, they used to. They lost that power with the removal of Her Majesty."

As they got deeper into the city, the streets became more organized and beautiful looking. In what seemed to be apartments, many occupants were outside, most of which were women laying out clothing.

When they rounded the corner again, the sound of raised, angry voices reached their ears. Kari's ears twitched lightly, and Kael looked around curiously. As they got closer, they noticed a large group of men—all Humes—wearing worn-out looking armor and clothing, most of whom were shouting at a Judge mounted on what Kari identified as a chocobo, squawking loudly through its beak.

"…I've said it before and I'll say it again, by the gods!" the Judge was saying. "I am unable to employ any one of thee a position of occupation! There is a massive unemployment rate, but there is nothing that can be done! Order will return!"

"Spare us!" one man with long brown hair and a full beard shouted. "It's been three months, and every coup d'etat has failed! You MUST know something, you bloody square!"

"You will be _silent_," The Judge said harshly. They joined the group but stood far in the back, Kari observing most of what was going on. "You must know that I do my job without PAY now, DO YOU NOT!"

"You're still in the cirlce, and we want to know what the bloody hell to do! Our families are suffering!" a younger man shouted, his face barely bearded, his hair dishelved but still short.

"Blame the two idealists who are fighting! NOW, OUT OF MY SIGHT. There is NOTHING I can do," the Judge shouted, dashing through the parting crowd. One of them shouted something, and soon, broad swords were drawn all around.

"You two!" The younger man had said. "Are you also denied such a neccessity?"

Before Kari could speak, Kael already found his voice. "So you pick on a Judge? From my understanding, they are only upholders of the law. And yes, jobs are a necessity, but in case you haven't noticed, you're on the border-line of anarchy."

"Aren't younglings taught any manners these days? Telling us what we already know…why did I even asked? We need to make sure children understand what we're going through for them!" He asked, turning to the group of older soldiers, who nodded enthusiastically. They walked off, their blades still brandished. When they went away, Kael shook his head, and Kari was looking at him with an expression of concern.

"You should really be careful," she said.

"Sorry," Kael said, wondering why he had said that at all in the first place. A simple "no" would've been better. Kari smiled, but continued down the street. Kael's mood waned slightly, although he still felt cheerful.

She turned into a dark but vibrant looking pub. Glasses and mugs clashed with one another, and many people were drinking what looked like beers. Very few Viera were there, and he couldn't help but notice something.

"Are there any…y'know…guys?" He asked Kari.

"Yeah, look at them all."

"No, I mean…Viera."

"Oh!" she said, stopping in the middle of the stoney floor covered in peanut shells. "Oh no, only women. I forgot to tell you."

"…what?" Kael asked, blinking.

"There never were any males. For some reason, only women. Even our scholars can't understand how we came into existence."

"So, that means that Humes and Bangaa and…" Kael said slowly.

"Yup. Only Nu Mou and Moogles are unable to."

Kael nodded. It made sense to him. She turned around again and went to the front of a clean bar, where an old man was wiping the same area of the wood with a rag in circular patterns. When she tapped on the wood, he looked up.

"Ah, what can I do fer yeh?" he asked, looking at them both with a toothless grin. "Drinks? Food?"

"No thanks, Joel. I'd just like to report a successful mission."

"Ah! Elfriede, yes! I'm surprised; Clan Dip said that you were a dead girl over some measely sheep. I'll tell you something, though, the Nu Mou that hired you was very pleased, so he doubled your pay," he said, reaching below the counter. "Here ya go, ten-thousand gil."

"Wow, make sure you tell him 'thanks' from me. But also mention that I had help." She grinned at Kael, whom returned it.

"An' who's this young man?" he asked, peering at him.

"Kael Nitsuhara, nice to meet you," he said, offering a hand. The old man looked at it carefully, then glanced desperately at Kari. She quickly pushed it down.

"He's not from around here, as you can tell," she said quickly. Then, whispering to Kael, said, "Bowing is more formal. Shaking hands is more for friends."

"Ah! So sorry," Kael said, bowing in his Japanese fashion. The old man smiled and did the same. The man handed her the pouch, then sat on a tall chair next to it.

"Can I get another pouch, Joel? Thanks." She handed him an identical pouch, taking some and filling his own. "There's your cut!"

"I can't take this! You did the job."

"Correction, you did." She smiled, closing his fingers over it. "Besides, I got double, so it really doesn't matter."

"Anyway, you still plan on joinin' them clanners?" Joel asked, cleaning a glass mug carefully with a rag, holding it up to the light from a window.

"Actually, we were considering making our own," she said happily. Kael coughed then looked at her.

"We?" he asked. "What does a clan _do_, essentially?"

"Take jobs, earn money, split it, earn a living. Only thing is, if you're a soldier, even an ex, you can't apply for one. Most clan members are younger, anyway," she explained. Joel looked interested, setting down his glass.

"You really aren't from 'round here, are ya?" he asked in a friendly tone. Kael shook his head. "Well, I'm usually 'roun, so you can come back here if ya be wantin' ter and ask me 'bout things."

"Thanks," he said, tying the pouch to his sash tightly just under the folds of his cloak at his side.

"Anyway, are there any people wanting to get into a clan?" Kari asked. The old man nodded.

"Yea, come ter think about it. Abou' four of 'em."

"Really!" She asked brightly. "Who are they?"

"Three are Viera, and one of 'em is Hume. All girls."

Kael coughed again, choking on his own saliva. "What?"

"You wan' 'em?" he asked, ignoring Kael.

"Sure. Make sure to tell them I'll be here tommorow morning. Until then, we're going. Ready?"

"Yeah…yeah I guess," Kael said. With a nod and a last thankyou, they returned to the streets. The sun was at its peak, the streets even busier than before. They had gone to a small residential, many of them two stories high with vines hanging from them. Kari started up the stone steps at the side of the pueblo-like buildings, her saddened look returning. At the top, she knocked at the small wooden door and leaned against the cement railing as they waited. Soon, there was a bustle of noise and the door creaked open.

A Viera woman, barely shorter than Kari, stood at the doorway. She smiled when she saw Kari, her face very much wrinkled. Her warm brown eyes gazed at her with what seemed to be happiness and relief.

"Elfriede!" she cried. Kari swooped down and embraced her. "Oh, I'm so glad you're okay! How did it go? Are you hurt?"

"No, mom, I'm fine," she said happily this time. "And I have a friend."

"Oh?" The elderly woman found Kael, standing at the top of the stairs. "Well who might this be?"

"Kael Nitsuhara, ma'am," he replied, smiling. "Nice to meet you." The woman returned it, looking back at Kari.

"Is he your new lover?"

"MOM!" Kari shouted, jumping. Kael felt his face turn a beet red, shaking his head furitively as well.

"Oh, just thought I'd hope," she said, still smiling. She began beckoning them inside. "Come in, come in!"

Kari nodded, and Kael, still slightly taken aback, followed her inside.


	9. Chapter 8: The Doom of Innocence

For those of you who are very weak-at-heart, beware...very angsty and bloody this chapter is.

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Chapter 8-The Doom of Innocence

The home was small and only three-roomed—the bedroom, the kitchen, and the living room. Kari had continued to look saddened, but her mother was humming to herself as she made tea with a small kettle in the next room. The house was cluttered with random items, and sunlihgt streamed through the windows easily, lighting the rooms up nicely.

"Please, take a seat, now," Kari's mother, Umi Tynave, called. "Kari, I'm so glad that you're safe. Is it thanks to this young man?" She was a squat woman, her skin was still smooth looking but had traces of wrinkles. Her hair was a whispy gray instead of a bright white, her ears drooping slightly. She wore normal, forest-green clothing with a worn-looking blue apron. They all sat around a small, ricketing table. Soon, he understood why she was sulking.

"Actually, yes," Kari said, smiling this time. Kael flushed. "He saved my life against some attackers."

"Speaking of which," Kael interrupted, "why were they trying to kill you?"

"I…I…can't say," she replied, her good mood vanishing. Kari's mother remained silent, loudly stirring the tea with the spoon banging against the sides of the china. Kael opened his mouth to say something again, but stopped himself.

"Well, in any case, they didn't seem too serious about it," he said. "The one other woman left, and we haven't seen her since."

"Skilled assassins. Most of them will bide their time," Mrs. Tynave said. "I'm so glad you're okay." She returned into the living room and hugged Kari again. "But," she added, "you're safe you. They shouldn't be able to track you now. Not ever since we moved."

"Oh?" Kael interjected. They both looked at him. Kari shook her head, smiling. Fixedly. Kael blinked, then took the cup from Mrs. Tynave with a grin, thanking her. When he sipped it, the warm liquid washed away quite a bit of fatigue and eased his sore throat, which had only been accustomed to warm, boiled water from the days before.

"I'm sorry, dear, but it is something that we'd rather forget for the time being," Mrs. Tynave said somberly. Kael decided it was time to end his curiosity.

"So what now?"

"Well, like the pubmaster said, we can either create our own clan, or join one. Of course, you seem to be so nervous around girls, so I would understand if…" she said pausing, uplifted again. She paused, eyeing Kael teasingly.

"Very funny," Kael said sarcastically. "Well, it's not really my position to choose, so…"

"Oh yes it is," she said, nodding. "You're going with me, aren't you?"

"Yeeeah…"

"Well, then you should get some say."

"And, like I said before, whatever you choose, I'll follow."

Mrs. Tynave chuckled suddenly, eyeing the two of them. She tried to say something, but shook her head, standing from the table and retreating back into the kitchen. They both watched her, then returned attention to eachother.

"Well, to be honest…starting our own clan would allow us more option. Let's just say I'd rather have time to choose which side to take in this war, even though I'd prefer not fighting at all."

Kael thought about this a moment, then nodded. "Sounds good to me."

The sun set in an hour later. Most of the time, Kael just stood out on the porch on the other side of the house and observed as much of the city he could. Many houses were shaped in the same fashion, although deeper inward, homes were taller and wider looking. The temples and the palaces still towered over them and, along with the well kept foliage, gave the city a certain beauty that he had never seen back home. The mix of races that went up and down the streets also made it feel more like a society, rather than just all Humes. Every once in a while, birds that he had never known to exist fluttered past, intriguing him even more, wondering about the other kinds of life that may exist.

"So, what do you think?" Kari asked slowly, coming up from behind him. She leaned on the railing, where potted plants were growing in the dark soil. Flowers and pretty plants also grew from it, although a majority of it was green.

"It's beautiful," he found himself saying. "Much better than even any city I've ever seen."

"It's nothing, really. And I'm sorry," she said.

"Huh? About what?" he asked kindly, enjoying the soft warm wind that brushed through their hair, adding to the scenery of the setting sun.

"About my family and our…house."

"What're you talking about?" He pretended not to understand what she had been thinking about.

"We're…not exactly the…the…the…house."

"It's wonderful," he said, not lying. She shook her head.

"Don't lie."

"Oh, but I'm not," he said. She shook her head again, muttered something in Viera, then continued to gaze toward the largest building in the center of the huge city. He looked at it too.

"Is that where the Royal Family used to reside?"

"No, it was more of a meeting place than anything else for royalty and the governors and whoever else had power. And between nations."

"Nations?"

"Yes, Ivalice is large, but we have a few neighbors. I'm surprised they haven't tried to take over."

Kael nodded, interlocking his fingers and leaning over the railing. "Where's your father?"

Kari glanced at him, her expression neutral. "Not here," she said simply. Kael looked out the corner of his eye at her, bewildered.

"Dead?"

"No."

She turned on her heel and stomped back into the interior of the home. Kael blinked a few times, still looking at the same place, wondering about her reaction.

"Was it something I said?"

She didn't talk to him for the rest of the evening. Mrs. Tynave gave him a blanket, and he willingly laid down on the soft rug with a soft pillow.

The assassin moved swiftly through the night, cloaked in an outfit darker than shadows, her ears folded underneath her turban. She squinted down the narrow street, looking for signs of soldiers or movement. When it was clear, she put an arm in the air and beckoned with two fingers.

She listened as two Humes moved just as swiftly and quietly, climbing up to the top of the homes. When she assumed that they had gotten to position, she crept along the dark side of the street, even though there wasn't that much light coming from the waxing half-moon.

When the description was matched, she leapt nimbly up the steps, knocking over only a single sandrock that crumbled as it contacted the street. Her two subordinates, wearing similar attire, joined her at the front door.

"Find the woman, then find the girl. We need to do this in one fell swoop, otherwise even that criminal will track us down, despite what he did to his family," she whispered.

They nodded. One leapt to the roof and then descended onto the porch. The other began silently opening a shuttered window, which creeped open just barely.

The lead assassin leapt into the window, tucking and rolling onto the hard floor. She narrowed her eyes, drawing a short sword that was sheathed at her side. Nothing moved. Satisfied, she crept across the small room toward what seemed to be the bedroom. Her foot found a heavy lump in the ground.

Kael stirred uneasily, groaning sleepily. He yawned, but then became aware that something had touched him. He looked up into a pair of unbelieving green eyes. A moment of staring passed by. He yelled alarm.

He rolled out of the way of a stab at his chest and felt around for his katana in the darkness. A small hand gripped him around the neck, rendering him motionless for a moment. When whatever it was seemed to be in range, he cocked his head and slammed it into the attacker, making what sounded like a her groan.

He launched himself, throwing his entire body weight against the intruder, tackling her to the ground. They tumbled around, and he found himself atop her. He raised a fist and tried a punch, but it was grabbed by stronger arms. What felt like a foot connected solidly with his ribs, making him keel over in a burst of pain.

A scream through the night drained the color from his face. Soon, it stopped. Gripping his side, he found his katana pushed against the wall and hurled the sheath at one of the figures in the darkness. He threw himself forward again, whirling the blade sideways. He felt the sharp edge cut through the flesh of two people. Each groaned, but not loud enough to make it seem like they were dying.

A groan from the next room along with coughing made him dash into the next room. Another assailant was standing atop the largest of the two beds, a short killing sword in his hand. A drop of blood fell downward, and the figure turned its head to look at him. After a brief pause, it hurled itself out of the window.

_What's going on what's going on what's going on!_

Kael floudered for a source of light. Soon, he found a waxy candle and lit it hastily with a match that he had salvaged from his jean pockets, which were abandoned in the woods. When he held it up, the sickening sensation pulsated through him again.

Mrs. Tynave was twitching uncontrollably, a deep wound in her stomach. Kael hastily went over to her. Her eyes were wide, her breath rattling, and her arms shaking as though someone had them on strings. She started gasping for breath. Kari was shaken awake, and began shouting at the top of her lungs with her hands covering her mouth.

She placed her hands over the wound and tried to heal it with magic. The white light flickered on and off, her panic overriding her concentration. Kael found any cloth he could and wrapped it around her.

Mrs. Tynave's hand jut in the air, feeling around. Kari ceased healing and grasped it tightly. Kael pulled the cloth as tightly as he could. A slit stomach was the worst way to die in terms of wounds. The blood began pouring from the cloths.

Kari began speaking in fast Viera, obviously trying to get a reply from her mother. Amidst the suffering, Umi Tynave found the strength to smile. Her hand rubbed against the side of Kari's cheek, and then she glanced at Kael. She nodded once. Kael felt a swift, sharp pain in his heart.

Her hand lost grip, and slipped easily from Kari's hand. Kari began speaking, softly at first, then began shouting, more desperately. The tears began pouring from her eyes like a fountain, her eyes heavily bloodshot. The pain in his heart still pounding, he reached over and shut Umi's eyes.

Saddness soon turned to anger.

Kael whipped around and charged into the next room, where the two assassins still were, trying to escape by crawling. He sliced in a wide arc at their hands, decapitating them. They cried desperately, collapsing to the ground.

"You…" Kael shouted, pointing the tip at the Viera's throat. He pressed the tip against the top of her chin.

The woman just looked at him, her face expressionless under the mask of cloth. Kael lifted his blade and thrust it downward into her back. When he was sure she was dead, he retracted the blade, blood dripping from the tip, and started for the other. In the reflection of the candle light, he watched as he swung in a wide arc and removed the other assailant's head from his shoulders.

Panting, he collapsed to his knees. He was shivering, hate reverberating through himself as he had never experienced it. Kari's bawling continued to haunt his ears. Finally regaining control of himself, he staggered into the next room and cradled Kari. She collapsed into his chest, her head attempting to bury itself into him. Warm tears seeped into his shirt. Words escaped him.


	10. Chapter 9: Twilight

Hello everyone! Sorry about the lack of updates, but I've been on vacation for a while XD. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and here's the next chapter.

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Chapter 9 - Twilight 

The minutes dragged by like hours. At last, a thread of light shot from below the horizon, splashing parts of the sky with a dull red color. Kari leaned on the railing, staring blankly towards the city, shedding occasional tears. Kael leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed and head bowed, occasionally glancing at the back of Kari's head, the wind swaying gently through her hair.

It had taken her a long while before she managed to let him go, and when the time came, managed to make it through the Great Flight, when the soul spread into the winds and shimmered as it vanished.

He sighed to himself, wishing he had been able to do more. More so, he wished he hadn't killed the only two people he had managed to apprehend who could've had useful information, but what it was, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that they were unable to do so anymore, and one of the assassins was already reporting to his employer, if he was a hired one.

"Kael," Kari mumbled.

"Yes?" he replied quickly, looking up at her.

"What do I do now?" she asked with a hoarse and barely legible voice, turning her head to look at him. Her eyes were slightly red and had circles under them, a tear line running down her cheek, making him feel even worse.

"I don't know," was all he could think of saying. Kari sniffed, turned all the way around, and walked back indoors. Wishing he were better with words, he followed her.

When he found her again, she was in her room, staring blankly at her mother's blood stained bed, her body missing. She blinked once, then moved hastily over to her rucksack, leaned over into a crouch next to it, and began throwing nearby things into it. Kael watched her curiously.

"Er…what're you doing?" he asked carefully. She turned on him. Her expression had changed dramatically; instead of sadness, he saw anger in her eyes.

"I'm going, you don't have to," she said sharply, returning to tossing more things and food into the bag.

"Where?" he asked, unconcerned about her tone.

"I don't know! Anywhere! Whoever did it will get killed!" she shouted, not turning around but shaking her head. Kael grimaced.

"They're still out there! And secondly, do you even have any idea of who it was? I thought at first they just worked for the bangaa, but I seriously doubt a sheep thief would send assassins for you _and _your mother."

"SO WHAT!" she shouted, standing up suddenly. Her hand was shaking, her mouth was half opened, and her ears were pinned slightly backward. Another stream of tears burst forth and, although she started hyperventilating slightly, shouted, "I DON'T HAVE ANYONE ANY MORE!"

Kael stood still, keeping a sharp eye contact with her. She shook her head at him then returned to packing. He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find anything. _I probably would've done the same, _he thought, _but still…_

"So you'd go on a bloody hunt for whoever is doing this, without even knowing who it is or where to start? And throw your life away so frickin' easily!" he shouted.

"Just shut your mouth and leave me alone!" she bellowed back. Kael narrowed his eyes, scowling. He opened his mouth to retort, but stopped when he saw her expression change. More tears streamed forth from her eyes, her lip trembled, and she bawled again, covering her mouth with a fisted hand, looking at her mother's bed. Kael immediately relaxed his expression. "I…have…no one anymo..more," she said, hiccupping once.

"Bah, stop kidding yourself!" Kael blurted out, loudly but not shouting. She looked back to him and eyed him curiously. "Remember what I said when I decided to follow you around? A stalker, eh? Well, I'll tell you what. If you'd _really _like to not have anyone, just tell me to go, and I'll go! Where though, I don't know. But until you say so, I think I'd like to stick around and protect you, if you don't mind!" Kael was breathing heavily, stunned at what he had escaped from his vocal cords. Kari was staring at him, but he couldn't determine what she was thinking with her slightly shocked expression.

After a long silence, she grinned, but stopped for a moment to wipe away a tear. Her lip trembled again before she launched herself toward Kael. Herecoiled slightly as she embraced him, her arms wrapped tightly around him. Kael blinked down at the top of her head, still surprised.

"Your right," she said. "I'm sorry."

Kael grinned at her when she released. "No need," he said. nodding and grinning warmly. "So what do we do now? You never did answer my question."

"Huh?"

"Any idea of who it was?"

After a pause, Kari nodded. "I think so, but it's not likely."

"Anything is good, as far as I know."

Kari returned to packing her things. He really knew that her decision to leave was exactly what most others would do, but it was just the haste in which she did it that concerned him, but not anymore.

"My mother used to serve as an archer under the Royal Family, specifically a noble. It…it wasn't good," she explained. Kael nodded as she closed the back and slung it over her shoulder.

"Well, he served the family well. And then, when there was news about a crystal that had powers over almost all life…he wanted it. Badly."

Kari paused and picked up her bag, and motioned for the door. They left outside into the already-crowded streets. The sun disappeared behind large clouds, casting a dark-gray color around most of the city, and the air was cold but dry.

"He betrayed the family, and killed many for that crystal," she continued. weaving in and out of people. "My…my father tried to reason with him, but he didn't change anything, despite how much I heard he had tried. Luckily, he didn't punish him," she said, sighing and pausing for a brief moment. Kael nodded, urging her to go on.

"In the same month…Ithalos—the noble—massacred Sprohm, believing it was there, but the knights stationed there refused him to search for the crystal. Over a thousand died…" she sucked in her breath. "When he didn't find it, all that came out of it was moreincentive to find it, for some reason. My dad…he didn't like it, and realized that he was going mad about finding such a rumored object. After long thought, he organized a mutiny...well, assassination attempt...on him with others who shared his opinion…he…he had to kill people with his own hands because he was ordered too, and so was mom… It was sabotaged."

Kael raised an eyebrow. "By who?"

"My brother," Kari replied in a hushed voice.

"What!" Kaelshouted loudly.

"I…I hate him," she said, looking away.

They walked silently for the next hour, Kael following her through the streets, wondering where she was going. "I thought we were going to the pub for the clan?" Kael asked finally.

"No, we can't drag others into this. Even if we could use the help," Kari said simply. Thunder rumbled far off in the distance, and the clouds grew more omnimous and dark. Kael shrugged and interested himself in small kiosks spread in the streets with scrambling Moogles behind them trying to take orders. He still found the mix of more races to be much more colorful than a Hume-only world.

They reached the gates of the city, but Kari didn't exit through them. Instead, they turned and walked alongside it. "So, where _are _we going?" he asked her. She grinned.

"A friend of mine. A sky pirate."

"Pirate, huh?" Kael asked, nodding. Then it hit him and he widened his eyes. "PIRATE! _Sky_ pirate?"

"That's right…what, did your world not have airships? They're so common," she said, looking at him. Kael shook his head.

"No, but I haven't seen anything that can fly here. But, then again, I've never seen magic before either so…"

"There's no magic in your world? How do you get power?"

"Electricity…" he acknowledged her curios look, but couldn't find a way to explain it, so ignored it. "So, those crystals on the buildings are magic?"

"Yep, but they get charged every so often by Black Mages. The only thing the power is used for though is for powering airships and data storage."

"Black…Mages?" Kael asked, blinking. "That sounds evil."

"Oh, Black Magic isn't evil, but it's an offensive type of magic, not curative. So, for whatever reason, we call offensive magic 'black'."

"Oh."

They turned down another street, and left through a huge gap in the wall downhill on a path made of red clay. At its base, a flat plain with tall yellow grass on either side of the path was swaying roughly in the building strength of the wind. At a far end was a small run-down building with rusting sides. At the top, Kael recognized the curve of what seemed to be a dome made of glass, but the rest of it was rather square. Near the right of the building was a giant patch of closely cut grass with markings that suggested it was a make-shift landing pad, but nowhere to be seen was an airship of any kind or even a hangar door that led to the inside.

"This place looks abandoned," Kael said, looking gloomily at the building and the dark clouds. Kari smiled.

"That's the idea. Did I forget to mention the word 'pirate'?"

Kael frowned. "I was hoping it was just an expression."

"That'd be boring, though. I wonder if he's home…"

"So, he's…literally a pirate?"

"Pretty much, yup."

Kael raised an eyebrow, sweat dropping. "Isn't that dangerous."

"Oh, stop being such a bloody pain in the arse, it's fun for him. Get your sky legs, matey!" Kari said, using the same stereotypical pirate voice that he recognized, laughing afterward. Kael smiled, but just because he was glad to see her in a somewhat happy mood.

"But he's a pirate, he steals and stuff," Kael said.

"Sometimes, but all the time? Nah, he's not like those kinds. 'Pirate' doesn't always have to mean they board ships to take money and kill people for the fun of it. He's more of a mercenary now."

"Oh, I see…"

Kari suddenly stopped. Kael walked a few steps ahead of her before stopping. He turned around to look at her.

"Hey, what's up? Huh?" Her right leg was in front of her left as though she was walking, but frozen with a normal expression on her face. The world around them slowly turned a dark orange color. Everything, including the leaves in the air, froze. Kael blinked once, waving an arm in front of her face. No response.

"Uhh…" His voice echoed many times before fading. A sharp gust of wind behind him made his hair fly forward briefly. He turned around and searched—to find the face of a little girl, standing to the side of the path in the tall grass.

Her hair was a shocking pink that looked natural, long enough to hover barely inches over the ground. She was staring at him with wide, dull-green eyes, her pupil barely visible. Her skin was pale, and she wore a small dress, holding a teddy bear in her arms. She looked no older than ten.

Kael approached her slowly, feeling a chill as she continued to stare. Her head cocked slightly to the side. "You are afraid? Do you hate? Silly humans, so predictable in emotion. The blue moon shines and bathes horrid memories, although I've lost that ability to see the past and the present…it's so…boring. Will you change that, please?" she asked, her tone constant and casual with a certain creepiness to it.

The words echoed around him, but before he could answer, everything swung back into motion. He blinked as he heard the thunder roar overhead.

"Kael?" Kari called. "How'd you get up there so fast?"

"Huh?" Kael turned to her again, breathing slightly deeper.

"You just appeared up there! How'd you do that? Can you do Haste?" she asked.

Kael looked around. The girl was gone. A steady rain began to fall, and Kari jogged up to him.

"I don't know…" he said, still searching. Kari looked from side to side, seemingly helping him.

"Uhhh…?"

"Did you see a little girl around here just now?" Kael asked slowly. She looked around and, not seeing anything, shook her head.

"Nooo…did you see a girl?"

"Yeah," he said. When he didn't see her again either, he shook his head. "Never mind." He shook the thought from his head. _Who was that girl? And what was that all about? And I'm sure it sounded like nonsensical ranting to her. Whatever._

"Riiight," Kari said, grinning slightly. "I think someone's getting dillusional."

"Hmm…" Kael took one last look, then shook his head. "I could've sworn…" Kari stopped grinning and examined him. "Forget it," hesaid quickly. She narrowed her eyes quizzically but then shrugged, starting for the hangar again. Kael quickly followed, feeling awkward and giddy.


End file.
